Three of the taps behind the bar at 8th Wonder on Dallas. The brewery celebrates its first anniversary Friday.

Three of the taps behind the bar at 8th Wonder on Dallas. The brewery celebrates its first anniversary Friday.

Photo: Dave Rossman, Freelance

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Employees Alex Vassilakidis and Jack Nugent at the 8th Wonder Brewery on Dallas St. Thursday March 6, 2014.(Dave Rossman photo)

Employees Alex Vassilakidis and Jack Nugent at the 8th Wonder Brewery on Dallas St. Thursday March 6, 2014.(Dave Rossman photo)

Photo: Dave Rossman, Freelance

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From left: The team at the 8th Wonder Brewery on Dallas St. Thursday March 6, 2014.From left: Alex Vassilakidis, Aaron Corsi, Ryan Soroka and Jack Nugent. Not pictured is Robert Piwonka. (Dave Rossman photo)

From left: The team at the 8th Wonder Brewery on Dallas St. Thursday March 6, 2014.From left: Alex Vassilakidis, Aaron Corsi, Ryan Soroka and Jack Nugent. Not pictured is Robert Piwonka. (Dave Rossman photo)

Photo: Dave Rossman, Freelance

Image 13 of 13

From left: The team at the 8th Wonder Brewery on Dallas St. Thursday March 6, 2014.From left: Alex Vassilakidis, Aaron Corsi, Ryan Soroka and Jack Nugent. Not pictured is Robert Piwonka. (Dave Rossman photo)

From left: The team at the 8th Wonder Brewery on Dallas St. Thursday March 6, 2014.From left: Alex Vassilakidis, Aaron Corsi, Ryan Soroka and Jack Nugent. Not pictured is Robert Piwonka. (Dave Rossman photo)

Photo: Dave Rossman, Freelance

Brewery celebrates wondrous first year

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They chose a name that pays tribute to the Astrodome, first marketed as the "8th Wonder of the World" well before any of them were born.

They were active in last year's unsuccessful ballot effort to protect the landmark stadium.

And now the young guns at 8th Wonder Brewery in east downtown are selling a beer that recalls the ballpark's better days.

Dome Faux'm, a "throwback" cream ale reminiscent of the foamy brew sold in paper cups during baseball games, is relatively tame by today's craft-beer standards. But the brewers guarantee it has plenty of flavor, much more than those Dome beers of old, the ones that were occasionally given away free during promotions whenever an Astros slugger would send a "foamer" over the fences.

Early response to Dome Faux'm has been positive, and the arrival of spring-training weather is expected to increase attention.

"As soon as we hit those 75- to 80-degree days, we're sure it's going to take off even more than it has now," brewer Aaron Corsi said of the beer.

More Information

8th Wonder anniversary

What: A block party to celebrate the east downtown brewery's first anniversary

When: 6-11 p.m. Friday

Where: 2202 Dallas; Dallas will be closed to vehicular traffic between Hutchins and Dowling

On tap: The core lineup of beers, plus Dome Faux'm, eight special casks and more

Besides beer: Six bands, local artists and food trucks

Admission: $25 at the door; no advance sales

If you miss it: The brewery is open for tours and tastings every Saturday night from 6-9 p.m.

Expansion plans also will include a canning line, meaning 8th Wonder beers could be packaged for sale by the end of 2014.

Corsi and Soroka are so youthful that it was impossible not to think, "Gosh, they grow up so quickly."

It seems like just the other day they were posing for a Chronicle photographer while seated on empty kegs in the warehouse they'd just secured. We talked about their Eatsie Boys food truck and what they were tinkering with on their small pilot brew system. But I guess that really was August 2011.

Sure, it took longer than expected to get the brewery up and going. But could 12 months really have passed since the night at Liberty Station I enjoyed that first pint of their Alternate Universe and decided altbier was a great choice for our subtropical climate?

Time may have flown even faster for them. Dome Faux'm is one of eight beers that 8th Wonder released during its inaugural year. In addition to the alt, their core beers include Hopston, a Texas version of the India pale ale, and Intellectuale, "a witty blonde." Then there were such occasional and semi-regular brews as Feight red ale; BrewGK candy-apple ale, a collaboration with local rap artist Bun B; and the inspired Vietnamese coffee porter Rocket Fuel.

That last beer is brewed with coffee from Houston's Greenway Coffee Co., and it's a good example of 8th Wonder's commitment to its hometown. Dome Faux'm, too, was a collaboration brew, developed at Moon Tower Inn on Canal. Soroka said the recipe was drawn up on a napkin there and first made on Moon Tower's brewing equipment.

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"They get it," Soroka said of his brew partners at Moon Tower. "They totally get it."

On Friday night, Houstonians can celebrate with Corsi, Soroka and the rest of the 8th Wonder crew as they open the brewery, at 2202 Dallas, and close off the street outside for a block party from 6 until 11 p.m. There will be local musicians, local artists and local food trucks. There will be Dome Faux'm and other beers, including eight special casks, served in souvenir glassware.

Like the Astrodome, this anniversary party could create some nice memories.

Catch can fever

Karbach Brewing Co. is hosting another collectibles show for fans of vintage beer cans and other brewery-related memorabilia during its Saturday tour. This should be a good opportunity to buy, sell, trade or simply ogle. The show - 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the brewery, 2032 Karbach - is sponsored by the Grand Prize chapter of the Brewery Collectibles Club of America.

For more information, email club president Ken Knisely at kenk2260@earthlink.net or check out the Grand Prize chapter on Facebook.